Shortly after 100 bright yellow rubber birds were let loose into the River Windrush, a disgruntled local called the police to invoke an ancient law that says the river may not be used for fundraising on a Sunday.

Officers swept into action after the tip-off and threatened to arrest the organisers if the event wasn't shut down.

"I have to say it soured the whole day," bystander Jonathan Dixon said. "Talk about using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The officers looked pretty embarrassed about it and I can understand why.

"It was like something out of the film Hot Fuzz. Surely the cops have got better things to do than stop a rubber duck race in the Cotswolds."

However some local residents were less than supportive of the charity event's efforts.

"It is frankly unfair to expect the villagers to put up with such nonsense from these undesirables who ruin the peace and quiet and then accuse us of being kill-joys," one person told Gloucestershire Live.

A police spokesperson said: "At about 2.45pm on Sunday, June 19, 2016, police responded to a complaint that a number of motorbikes were parked on the village green, contravening a local bylaw protecting the site.

"An officer asked the riders to move their bikes, which they kindly did. Organisers of the duck race were given advice about guidelines and permissions governing the staging of events on the green."